Right to Rent check rules were tightened up in February 2024, and renters across the UK are reporting that things are becoming increasingly difficult in the rental market. Landlords have a legal obligation to check the nationality of anyone applying to rent a property from them, and may also undertake other background checks such as credit checks, criminal records checks or a basic DBS check, and taking up references from people you have rented from previously. The administration and paperwork involved in all of these checks is ripe pickings for fraudsters, who can use the checks and fees involved to get money out of unsuspecting tenants.
Scam Landlords
A teacher in north London, who preferred not to disclose her identity when speaking to the press about what happened to her, shared her experience of falling victim to fraudsters while attempting to rent a property. In her case, scammers used the personal information she provided to a letting agent to hijack her phone, extract her personal information such as passwords and usernames, then subsequently drain her bank account.
This event, however, does not seem to be an isolated occurrence. Fraudsters are increasingly trying to hack into mobile phone accounts to get hold of the one-time passcodes which banks text when you try to make a withdrawal or pay for something online. Police advise prospective renters to be cautious if they are asked for their ID documents, such as passports by third parties, even if the third-party claims to be acting on behalf of the landlord. The riskiest time is during the landlord’s background checking process; the landlord themselves may be dodgy but may also have been hacked by scammers and may be unaware of what is going on.
Complying with Landlord Background Checks
Landlords have a legal duty to check the immigration status of tenants and the rest of the background checks which are carried out are mainly aimed at protecting the property and the landlord’s financial position. Any reputable agent will be happy to explain the checks which they wish to carry out and will let you know if they use any third-party agent to do any of the checks on their behalf. Using a third party is not a concern in itself, but alarm bells should be ringing if you are not told about third party checking and someone asks for personal details such as your mobile phone number or your bank account details.
When running background checks, landlords or agents are trying to make sure that you will be a good risk as a tenant. They want to make sure you have enough money coming in to pay the rent, and that previous landlords can confirm that you paid your rent on time. They may choose to run background checks on the main tenancy applicant only, but Right to Rent checks apply to everyone over the age of 18 who will be living in the property, whether they are on the tenancy agreement or not.
